Bi Chunfang

01 · Lineage & Regional School

In 1940 she entered the Hongxing Stage training school in Shanghai to study the art, becoming a disciple of Li Guifang, an artist of the all-male troupes. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yueju (Shaoxing Opera) in Shanghai: Yue opera's role types fall into six great categories: xiao dan (young female), xiao sheng (young male), lao sheng (old male), xiao chou (young clown), lao dan (old female) and da mian (painted-face). Xiao dan divides into six kinds — bei dan (tragic female), hua dan (florid female), gui men dan (boudoir female), hua shan (flower-pattern female), zheng dan (main female) and wu dan (martial female); xiao sheng into four — shu sheng (scholar), qiong sheng (poor scholar), guan sheng (official) and wu sheng (martial); lao sheng into two — zheng sheng and lao wai; xiao chou into four — chang shan chou (long-gown clown), guan chou (official clown), duan shan chou (short-jacket clown) and nv chou (female clown). Yue opera is popular in Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu and many other provinces, cities and regions. It originated in the Sheng County area of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, and in the late Qing dynasty it first took shape on the basis of the quyi form of luodi changshu (story-singing performed on the ground), absorbing the repertoire, tunes and performance art of such genres and opera forms as Yuyao tanhuang and Shao opera; at that time it was called xiao ge ban (small song troupe) or di du ban. When it entered Shanghai in 1916 it was known as Shaoxing wenxi (Shaoxing literary play), and after 1930 it further developed into nüzi Shaoxing wenxi (women's Shaoxing wenxi), performed entirely by actresses. In 1938 it was renamed Yue opera. From the early 1930s onward Yue opera already began to use three-dimensional stage settings with the character of Chinese painting, coloured lighting, recorded sound and oil-based make-up; costume styles were designed in relation to the plot, drawing on ancient paintings of beauties and gentlewomen while inheriting tradition, with fresh and natural cuts and soft, restrained colours and materials — a notable development of traditional Chinese opera costume. After the beginning of the 21st century, as people's spiritual needs diversified and cultural and artistic forms multiplied, the survival and development of Yue opera came under threat.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

A national first-class actor. After completing her training in 1943 she performed successively with Xing Zhuqin, Xu Tianhong, Wang Wenjuan, Qiu Aihua, Jin Yanfang and others. She joined the Tianhong Troupe in 1946, the Xuesheng Troupe in 1948 and the Dongshan Yueju Arts Society in 1949. In 1951 she joined the Hezuo Yueju Troupe, with which she worked in long-term partnership with Qi Yaxian. In 1980 the Jing'an Yueju Troupe was established, and she served as its deputy head. Her singing merges the intonations of Yin Guifang and Fan Ruijuan; her voice is crisp and elastic, and she is especially skilled at comic characters, with melodies that are lively, relaxed and humorous. Her representative works include Wang Laohu Qiang Qin (Old Wang the Tiger Seizes a Bride), Bai She Zhuan (The Legend of the White Snake), Yutang Chun (Spring in the Jade Hall), San Xiao (Three Laughs), Xue Shou Yin (The Bloody Handprint), Lin Chong, Yue Wang Goujian (King Goujian of Yue), Zhufu (The New Year's Sacrifice) and Hongse Yisheng (The Red Doctor). Within the documented technical tradition of Yueju (Shaoxing Opera) in Shanghai: Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers)": Yue opera has many excellent plays that are widely known; among the more representative are Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers), Hong Lou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber), Xiang Lin Sao, Xi Xiang Ji (The Romance of the Western Chamber), Zhui Yu (Chasing the Fish), Qing Tan (Probing the Heart), Pan Fu Sou Fu (Searching for the Husband), Liu Yi Chuan Shu (The Story of Liu Yi), Bi Yu Zan (The Green Jade Hairpin), San Kan Yu Mei (Three Looks at the Imperial Sister), Da Jin Zhi (Beating the Golden Branch), Yu Tang Chun (Jade Hall in Spring), Pi Pa Ji (The Pipa Record) and Kong Que Dong Nan Fei (The Peacock Flies Southeast). "Hong Lou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber)": Yue opera has many excellent plays that are widely known; among the more representative are Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers), Hong Lou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber), Xiang Lin Sao, Xi Xiang Ji (The Romance of the Western Chamber), Zhui Yu (Chasing the Fish), Qing Tan (Probing the Heart), Pan Fu Sou Fu (Searching for the Husband), Liu Yi Chuan Shu (The Story of Liu Yi), Bi Yu Zan (The Green Jade Hairpin), San Kan Yu Mei (Three Looks at the Imperial Sister), Da Jin Zhi (Beating the Golden Branch), Yu Tang Chun (Jade Hall in Spring), Pi Pa Ji (The Pipa Record) and Kong Que Dong Nan Fei (The Peacock Flies Southeast). "Xiang Lin Sao": Yue opera has many excellent plays that are widely known; among the more representative are Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers), Hong Lou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber), Xiang Lin Sao, Xi Xiang Ji (The Romance of the Western Chamber), Zhui Yu (Chasing the Fish), Qing Tan (Probing the Heart), Pan Fu Sou Fu (Searching for the Husband), Liu Yi Chuan Shu (The Story of Liu Yi), Bi Yu Zan (The Green Jade Hairpin), San Kan Yu Mei (Three Looks at the Imperial Sister), Da Jin Zhi (Beating the Golden Branch), Yu Tang Chun (Jade Hall in Spring), Pi Pa Ji (The Pipa Record) and Kong Que Dong Nan Fei (The Peacock Flies Southeast). "Xi Xiang Ji (The Romance of the Western Chamber)": Yue opera has many excellent plays that are widely known; among the more representative are Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers), Hong Lou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber), Xiang Lin Sao, Xi Xiang Ji (The Romance of the Western Chamber), Zhui Yu (Chasing the Fish), Qing Tan (Probing the Heart), Pan Fu Sou Fu (Searching for the Husband), Liu Yi Chuan Shu (The Story of Liu Yi), Bi Yu Zan (The Green Jade Hairpin), San Kan Yu Mei (Three Looks at the Imperial Sister), Da Jin Zhi (Beating the Golden Branch), Yu Tang Chun (Jade Hall in Spring), Pi Pa Ji (The Pipa Record) and Kong Que Dong Nan Fei (The Peacock Flies Southeast).

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

Female, of Han ethnicity, born in July 1927 in Yin County, Zhejiang Province, and died in August 2016. Representative bearer of Yueju (Shaoxing Opera), a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Bi Chunfang · National Representative Bearer Archive